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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
10:57
RNAi-mediated Double Gene Knockdown and Gustatory Perception Measurement in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Published on: July 25, 2013
Honey bee aggression supports a link between gene regulation and behavioral evolution
Cédric Alaux1, Saurabh Sinha, Linda Hasadsri
1Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Summary
Evolutionary changes in gene regulation influence animal behaviors. This study reveals that aggression in honey bees has a consistent molecular signature in the brain, regardless of inherited, age-related, or environmental factors.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Genetics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Animal phenotypes are theorized to evolve through changes in gene regulation.
- The role of gene regulation in behavioral evolution, particularly aggression, remains largely unexplored.
- Both genetic and environmental factors influence gene expression, impacting traits like behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if environmental influences on honey bee aggression evolved into inherited differences via gene expression changes.
- To identify the molecular underpinnings of aggression in honey bees across different contexts.
Main Methods:
- Microarray analysis of honey bee brains.
- Comparison of gene expression between Africanized and European honey bee subspecies.
- Analysis of gene expression in response to alarm pheromone and across different age groups.
Main Results:
- Hundreds of aggression-related genes showed differential brain expression between honey bee subspecies.
- Significant overlap was found in gene expression patterns related to inherited differences, environmental exposure (alarm pheromone), and age.
- Common cis-regulatory motifs were enriched in the promoters of these overlapping genes, suggesting coordinated regulation.
Conclusions:
- Aggression in honey bees exhibits a robust molecular signature in the brain, consistent across inherited, age-related, and environmental influences.
- Evolutionary changes in the regulation of genes responding to alarm pheromone likely contributed to the divergence of aggressive behaviors in honey bees.
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